Footprints on the Moon
phere a decided asset. Here on earth our vast
oceans and the wind and rain have obliterated
surface features that could tell us much about
the way the world was formed. But the sur
face of the moon preserves a record that may
go back 41/2 billion years. There the primor
dial rocks remember their history and will
reveal it upon scientific analysis. Similarly
the moon's interior holds secrets that we may
one day discover by deep drilling.
Robots fired to the moon will give us only
limited information. We cannot build into
them the versatility and powers of decision
of a man. We cannot make them as depend
able as a man. Only humans can give us an
swers to the most important questions.
However, if finding out more about the
origin of the solar system were the trip's sole
purpose, we would not be attempting it. Other
national purposes are involved.
A Soviet sputnik, not a U. S. satellite,
ushered in the Space Age on October 4, 1957.
That first venture into space could have been
ours. As a nation we had the ability to do it
but not the foresight or the will.
In the intervening years we have accom
plished much, and most of us now realize
that we cannot remain a great nation if we
do not pursue the conquest of space whole
heartedly, using whatever resources are re
quired. It is not merely a matter of national
prestige; it also involves national strength
and security. The assault on space will change
our lives and our prospects in ways yet un
dreamed of, and we must acquire the knowl
edge, the resources, and the trained personnel
to be first in man's greatest endeavor.
Today the military advantages of space
supremacy may not be apparent, but they
probably exist. No nation achieves such ad
vantages by paper studies, nor can a threat
be countered by some overnight crash pro
G.S.
M INUTES AFTER Apollo's landing, tech
nicians clamber over the capsule amid the
sand and sagebrush of the impact area. They
found the craft undamaged inside and out.
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